Pantoja’s Top 100 Matches Of 2024 (#40 – 31)

40. El Phantasmo vs. Konosuke Takeshita – NJPW G1 Climax 8/7/24

Image Credit: NJPW

The idea here was that Konosuke was basically kicking ELP’s ass from the start. ELP had been struggling so it makes sense that he was on his heels here and Konosuke was sure show off how arrogant he was as he dominated. ELP had to take risks to gain any sort of momentum. His tope to the outside changed the tide of this for a while but then things took a wild turn when a table got introduced. They teased using it a few times as tension built before ELP got a near fall on a super rana inside, away from the table. He came even closer to winning with CRII though it was hard to buy that as the finish given the table was still in play. Konosuke used it when he caught a diving ELP and hit him with the Bastard Driver off the apron through the table. A ridiculous spot that saw ELP get folded and end up with back cut. From there, we got ELP putting on a hell of a performance as a desperate, battered man. From the inside cradle close call to hitting Sudden Death, the crowd bought into every chance he had. Spitting at Konosuke and rolling him up made for the best near fall of the night. Konosuke only getting one on a lariat was madness, so he hit Raging Fire to win in 17:22. I liked that way more than I expected. Great stuff from both men. [****½]

39. AEW International Championship: Will Ospreay [c] vs. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Ricochet – AEW WrestleDream

Image Credit: STARDOM

Everyone was so hyped at the idea of Will Ospreay and Ricochet renewing their rivalry but that didn’t really appeal to me. Their past matches were good, some great, yet I didn’t need more of it, especially since Will has evolved past that style. Their Dynamite meeting underwhelmed, so I was happy to see that the PPV outing would have Konosuke Takeshita added in because he’s one of the best in the world. There’s no doubt that aspects of this match weren’t for me. Some of the Will/Ricochet stuff looks way too choreographed and that takes you out of what you’re watching. When they found ways around that, mixing in Takeshita’s hard strikes and hitting impressive aerial stuff that didn’t look too pre-planned, this had some incredible moments. For 20:42, they just kept upping the ante and delivering big spot after big spot in front of a molten hot crowd. The closing stretch featured some great close calls and then we got the sports entertainment aspect of it. The Don Callis Family intervened and Don nearly took a Tiger Driver only for Kyle Fletcher to attack his friend, turning on Will. That allowed Takeshita to win the title (something he’d badly needed in AEW) and set the tone for the Will/Kyle program. Just an absolutely wild 20 minutes of wrestling. [****½]

38. Iron Survivor Challenge: Giulia vs. Sol Ruca vs. Stephanie Vaquer vs. Wren Sinclair vs. Zaria – NXT Deadline

Image Credit: WWE

This division is absurdly deep. The big names are there but even newcomers like Wren Sinclair founds ways to shine here and Sol Ruca looked great. Her Sol Snatcher is one of the better looking finishers in wrestling and she found clever ways to hit it here. Zaria got to play the powerhouse well too. But the two standouts are still Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer. They teased that several times here and only gave us a glimpse of it. This was so well laid out though. Having the ladies only get one fall each ahead of the closing minutes was a good idea, allowing the action and dope spots like Zaria’s cannonball with Giulia on her back or Sol’s springboard dive to the outside to really take center stage. When Wren returned from the penalty box in the final minute or so to score a pin and give everyone one point, you knew we were in for a frantic finish. They delivered in spades and Giulia went up by a point on everyone with a knee strike before surviving a flurry of flash pins from Vaquer. Brilliantly set up and executed from the deepest and best women’s division around. [****½]

37. Continental Classic Finals: Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay – AEW World’s End

Image Credit: AEW

The Okada/Ospreay rivalry is one that I have openly said I don’t love. People have lost their shit over it in the past and I’ve only really liked a few of their matches. Thankfully, the 2024 Continental Classic Finals was one of those. Ospreay got busted open during the opener and came into this with a severe disadvantage because of it. He was the star here. While the structure of this match was somewhat formulaic for Okada, he was nailing the character stuff that has made him work so well in AEW so far. He was a cocky prick who bullied the damaged Ospreay at every turn. Ospreay rallied and, as always, the crowd was in the palm of his hands. He’s really put it all together since coming to AEW. Moments like Ospreay no selling the dropkick and the Tiger Driver into the Rainmaker counter were fantastic and showcased how good these men are, even if we already knew it. As expected, Okada ended up winning with the Rainmaker at the 19:09 mark, finishing off one of his best matches in AEW. For Ospreay, it was somehow his third worst PPV outing of the year. That’s how good his 2024 was. [****½]

36. Shingo Takagi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW G1 Climax 8/3/24

Image Credit: NJPW

The two best wrestlers in New Japan. We got a feeling out process to start as neither guy seemed willing to make the first mistake. That didn’t last too long though because these guys were not out here working at a usual New Japan pace. This wasn’t designed to go the usual 25-30 minutes of a main event in this company. It wasn’t long before things were really good and they were going back and forth. Shingo could hit an impactful move or a vicious strike but then ZSJ could trap him in a sickening submission or do some limb damage. It was that kind of affair throughout and it was great. A Made in Japan near fall took this to the next level as they went into trading strikes that the crowd was split on. It culminated with Last of the Dragon after 16:13. Shocker but the best match in New Japan this year to not feature Bryan Danielson to this point. Just a banger of match that didn’t go too long and ruled from start to finish. [****½]

35. AEW World Tag Team Championship Tornado Match: Darby Allin and Sting [c] vs. The Young Bucks – AEW Revolution

Image Credit: AEW

No part of me would’ve ever wanted Sting’s final match to be against the Young Bucks. I’ve made it no secret that they’re not my favorite tag team. That said, I’ve given them their due when they put on a great match and thankfully, they helped make sure Sting went out with a bang. They headlined Revolution in a tornado rules match that ended up being fittingly wild like so much of Sting’s AEW run. I saw some people who were very down on this but I’m someone who loves a good plunder brawl so I was all in. Darby got to do some of the dangerous and stupid spots he’s so known for, Sting went through a pane of glass, and the Bucks more than held up their end of the bargain in this absurd match. The “We’re not sorry, we hate you” moment is such a Young Bucks thing to do and it worked here, especially since Sting no sold the double superkick. Sting’s power up stuff was awesome, especially when he kicked out at one from the EVP Trigger. The best part was the finish though as Sting won with the Scorpion Death Lock in 21:03, allowing him to conclude his career as a winner, which wasn’t something a lot of people were expecting. [****½]

34. Chihiro Hashimoto and Sareee vs. Natsupoi and Saori Anou – STARDOM Cinderella Tournament 3/9/24

Image Credit: STARDOM

Early on, a couple of spots kind of got flubbed and I was concerned but those worries were quickly quieted as these four ladies went all out. Hashimoto was an absolute monster, Saori did everything she’s known for, Natsupoi hasn’t missed a step, and Sareee showed why she could’ve been a bigger deal in NXT. She put a hurting on Natsupoi at every chance, delivering stiff forearms and dropping her on her head several times. She worked seamlessly with Hashimoto, playing so well off of her power game. I liked how Hashimoto threw Sareee around at times if it meant more damage could be down to her opponents as well. The closing stretch here was something special with the crowd eating everything up. The drama was also high as you never quite knew who would pull out the win. Natsupoi refused to give up no matter what was thrown at her but a few too many suplexes dropping her on her head did her in, with Sareee pinning her after 18:59. A spectacular match that was one of the best of the young year at the time. Natsupoi returned on this night and went on to have a pretty great 2024. [****½]

33. G1 Climax Finals: Yota Tsuji vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW G1 Climax 8/18/24

Image Credit: NJPW

It’s rare that the G1 Finals actually came down to the two best options to win. ZSJ has been one of the company’s best and most underutilized wrestlers for years. He’d be an ideal person to carry the company for a couple of years while the rising stars like Yota Tsuji fully develop. Of course, going with Yota and fully opting for a new era is also a good idea. We got the expected feeling out process here since this was obviously going long and the two don’t have a long history together. This followed a similar layout to Shingo/Zack in that Zack’s larger, stronger opponent kind of kicked his ass for a lot of this. He had to survive a beating and use his technical acumen to get back into things. Yota really took it to him and unlike a lot of other guys in this company, his control segments were actually good and relatively engaging. ZSJ blocked a move up top and then dropped Yota’s arm on the top rope, signaling a turning point. From that point on, his choice to get into striking battles with Yota had much more success. Still, Yota could stop his attack by catching a kick and knock him back with a vicious knee. The two defiantly got to their feet with forearm strikes and European uppercuts. It had been long enough in the match that the shots were almost evenly matched. I loved the spot where ZSJ fired off slaps only to get floored by a Yota headbutt. The closing stretch was the usual greatness in these big matches. ZSJ makes them work extra well because he’s not just kicking out of or hitting finishers. His Gene Blaster counter into a pinning combination ruled and he knows how to do things like that to make his final stretch great. In a perfect Zack ending, he trapped Yota in a ridiculous submission for the big win in 31:04. A great ending to a tournament that exceeded my expectations. [****½]

32. AEW American Championship: MJF [c] vs. Will Ospreay – AEW All In

Image Credit: AEW

Will had an Assassin’s Creed entrance while MJF was overly patriotic and the fans sang along to his theme. Of note, somebody stole MJF’s Dynamite Dozen ring gimmick before the show so he doesn’t have access to it here. This got off to a hot start with them trading blows and Will nailing a big dive in the early moments. They had very good back and forth from there, including MJF’s Kangaroo Kick and him countering another Will dive into a Tombstone on the outside. MJF shouted that Will wasn’t special because he could flip and went for one of his own though he missed, leading to an awkward Spanish Fly on the outside. From there, we got some big spots like a Shooting Star Press, Cross Rhodes from MJF, Oscutter, and some good close calls on both sides. When Storm Breaker wasn’t enough, the crowd began chanting “Tiger Driver.” There was a countout tease after an apron Destroyer from MJF, who desperately wanted the cheap victory. A cameraman bump distracted the referee (nice twist on a tired ref bump gimmick) long enough for MJF to get the title and use it for a near fall. Then we got a normal ref bump and when MJF tried to cheat again, someone in a mask stopped him. He then revealed himself to be Daniel Garcia to a huge pop. Will hit the Hidden Blade and then added the Tiger Driver to win in 25:47. Overbooked at points but another banger for both men. [****½]

31. WWE Women’s Championship: IYO SKY [c] vs. Bayley – WWE WrestleMania

Image Credit: WWE

It took a long time but Bayley finally got to have a truly great moment after returning from injury a few years back. She spent most of the past couple of years getting dominated by Bianca Belair but after a great performance that saw her win the Royal Rumble, Bayley was back in a top spot. Damage CTRL turned on her, setting her up as a top babyface against IYO SKY, which was a recipe for success. The two went out there for 14:23 on the biggest stage and nearly stole the show. There’s just so much to like here from the fact that it was free of shenanigans to the fact that both women brought out unexpected moves, it all felt fitting of a big WrestleMania match. Just two of the best women in the world doing their thing. IYO targeted the leg and Bayley sold it very well, further drawing a strong reaction from the crowd when it was time to make her rally. IYO made a key mistake, missing the third moonsault attempt and Bayley capitalized to win the title with the Rose Plant. Fantastic stuff, a well-deserved moment, and WWE’s best women’s match of 2024. [****½]